Swimming appliance



LP. SiFFORD.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8,1921.

1 ,383 fi8fi Patented June 28, 1921,

@ 4 2 awW PATENT OFFICE LUTHER P. SIFFORD, 0F BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

Application filed February 8, 1921.

To all 10 710m it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER P. Sirronn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Barstow, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swimming Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to swimming appliance and more particularly to a device adapted to be placed in the nostrils of the nose whereby the swimmer will be prevented from attempting to breathe while swimming under water.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an appliance of this character which may be placed in the nostrils of the nose and which will automatically operate to close the airpassages when the swimmer is under water thus obviating the danger of water passing through the nostrils into the lungs.

Other objects of the invention will appear upon consideration of the following detail description and accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device constructed in accordance with my invention, showing approximately the size and general proportions of the device for practical use.

Fig. 2 is a plan view on a greatly enlarged scale and Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section through one of the nostril tubes.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, the device consists of a pair of tubes 1 adapted to fit in the nostrils of the nose of the user. The tubes are connected together as indicated by the member 3 so that they will be properly spaced apart and in this connection it should be understood that the forward portion of the tubes must necessarily extend slightly from the nostrils when the device is in use.

Each tube is provided on its interior with a hinged valve disk at pivotally mounted on the member 5 and adapted, when closed, to engage stop members 6 located at diametrically opposite points within the tube, an elastic band or other suitable contractile spring member is attached to one portion of the disk 4 and also to the tube 2 as indicated by Fig. 3 at 7. This elastic member 7 normally tends to maintain the valve disk in open position. The forward end of the tube is provided Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1921.

Serial No. 443,345.

with a cross arm 8 having a central opening 9. A flexible cord 10 is connected to the valve dish a and passes through a guidemember 11 and also through the end of the cross arm 8, and a float member 12 is connected to the outer end of the flexible member 10.

When the device is in use, the tubes 1 and 2 will be placed in the nostvils, and, of course, the valve member 4: will be fully open by virtue of the operation of the clastic member 7. N'hen the user dives under water, the float 12 will immediately tend to rise toward the surface and thus exert a pull on the valve members to close the same against the tension of the elastic member 7, so that the valves will remain closed while the user is swimming under water. Assoon as the swimmer places his head above water, the float will cease to operate and the elastic member will cause the valves to be immediately open.

Minor changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

What is claimed is 1. A device of the character described comprising parallel tubular members, valves arranged within the members, a float member at the end of each tubular member, means connecting the float member with the valve member within the tube, and an elastic member connected to the valve member and tending to normally hold the valve member in open position.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular members having open ends, a cross arm at one end of each tubular member, a valve member pivot-ally mounted within each tubular member, elastic means connected to the valve members to normally hold them in open position. a flexible member connected to each valve member and passing through. the opening in the cross arm, the float member connected to the outer end of each flexible member whereby the float member will exert a pull on the said valve member to close the latter against the tension of the elastic member when the tubular members are placed under water.

8. A device of the character described comprising complementary hollow tubes having open ends, valve means arranged within each tube, means to normally hold the valve means in open position when the tubes are not under Water, and float means connected to the valve means and adapted to close the valve means against the action of the spring means when the device is placed under Water.

I LUTHER P. SIFFORD;

lVitnesses J. C. MEIKLE, L. FISHER. 

